(Mabry Aldaran: Mabry Slemmons; Rafael Lindir: Laura Lulli; Diego Storn and Jasper: Jim Caccamo

Congratulatia Ridenow y Elhalyn: Marcello Bellavista)

Mabry sneezed. The stupid cold was still keeping her stuck in bed. She was irritated. She really didn't want to miss the wedding. Unfortunately, she didn't have a choice. She didn't want to spread my cold any further, though she had heard that Jorik had already come down with it. Well, if she couldn't go, she should at least send a wedding present. Something original. She laid (still stuck in bed, remember) in thought a moment before inspiration struck. A year's subscription to THAT paper! *Mabry*, she congratulated herself, *you're a genious!* No one will ever forget that wedding gift. Of course she knew it was totally distasteful, so she decided against it. She knew what the eventual answer would be. The same thing she usually gave everyone. Bunny slippers. The only question was: What color?

In the meanwhile Congratulatia was plotting with her Auntie Emelda:

After a little while, Congratulatia excused herself.

"I really must be going now, auntie. I had plans for a meeting with the harlot Harpy of Aldaran today, but they were thwarted when she announced she was suffering from cold. Actually, I do know that she is suffering from syphilis because Jorik infected her."

Emelda was feeling as scandalized as Congratulatia.

"You know... since the marriage is canceled <sigh> I will try to get something positive from this disastrous day. I had already concocted a plan whose objective was to put the poor girl out of her misery once and for all... if you excuse me, I will go carrying that peculiar plan out."

Congratulatia had changed her dress. Now she was wearing a traditional (Darkovan-style) black velvet dress with black laces all over. She had accentuated the mascara and had spread a dark grey shadow on her eyes in order to assume a menacing look.

Accompanied by her multi-named maid, she knocked at the Aldarans' suites of the castle.

A servant opened and she said: "Please, announce to the Lady of Aldaran that a most worried Domna Congratulatia Elhalyn y Ridenow is here to pay a visit and that she brings with herself the juiciest gossips from today's events. As you most certainly know, gossips can be the best medicine for one in her conditions. Please, let her know that I am requesting an audience with her."

The maid was holding a tray with an Aldaran-red cup. The cup was filled with the astringent tea Tula had prepared for Mabry. She knew a herbal tea could not heal syphilis, but since the official version was that Mabry was suffering from a cold, she had brought it to have the harlot explode from inside (or so she thought, at least ^_^).

There was a knock on Mabry's door. She attempted to shriek, but her voice was to hoarse. "Go away! I need my sleep!"

The maid outside the door spoke. "Lady, it's Congratulatia Elhalyn. She wants to see you."

"Tell her to go away! she need her sleep," my voice was scarcely loud enough to be heard.

"I can't do that!" the shocked maid replied. "She's the future queen!"

"And I'm really her twin sister who was lost at birth," Mabry growled, or tried to.

The maid was uncertain what to say. "You have to see her."

"Tell her to go away! I don't feel up to having visitors."

The maid went to inform Congratulatia that now would not be a good time to vistit the Harpy of Aldaran.

"Oh, I see. Please, tell her that I wish her a prompt recovery and that, it goes without saying, I will be back." Congratulatia replied with a smile, even though inside she was fuming. Then, she addressed her maid: "Ergiula, let us go back to my suites."

"The name is 'Fedora', vai domna..."

"Exactly, Gesulina, what had your most hampered hearing heard?"

After Congratulatia had gone away, Mabry felt much better. She was tired to be in bed, tired to be ill, and what's more tired to be treated like a child by both her regents.

How could they dare to send her to Neskaya against her will? She wasn't going to allow them to do such a thing.

One more sneeze, then she got out of her bed, grabbed a blanket to wrap herself up, and went over to her desk.

It didn't take much to write this letter:

Then Mabry went back to her bed, and fell soundly asleep, feeling well for the first time in many days. She knew what she was going to do.

The regents' reactions in Looking for Mabry

The following morning, fever and cold seemed to have vanished. Mabry was feeling better and better.

She began to pack her belongings, grabbed her sword (the one with the matrix inside!) and off she went to the stables, where her horse was waiting for her.

A couple of days later, not far from Thendara:

The two companions had been walking all day. The scant warmth of the Bloody Sun was rapidly disappearing as it dipped below the horizon. Neither Diego nor his dog wished to continue the journey in darkness, so they kept looking for one of the travel shelters that dot the byways of Darkover.

They were in luck! There was a shelter, and they made their way to it, turned the crude wooden latch, opened the door and entered. Much to Diego's surprise, the shelter wasn't deserted. Another traveler had taken a night's refuge here.

While that wasn't unheard of, especially in winter with its dangerous, unpredictable storms, it wasn't often that Diego and Jasper encountered anyone on the road, much less in a shelter. Diego called a greeting and a figure stepped out of the shadows.

Oh, no! It couldn't be possible! Of all people and in such a remote place. What in Aldones' name was going on? For when the other traveler stepped near the light of the already-fired hearth, Diego and Jasper realized that they were face to face with......Mabry Aldaran!!!

It had been a rough trip, as Mabry wasn't used to riding all day, and she doubted she ever would be. She'wasn't much of a rider, even in the best of times. There were good reasons, however. She was NOT going to be shipped off to Neskaya like a package, just because her regents would rather play games with renunciates. She smiled to herself: her regents would be very annoyed when they learned, she had run away.

It was getting late. She wasn't planning on sleeping out in the open, so she kept her eye out for some form of shelter. She soon spotted one - she always did have good luck.

On entering, she found it was tidy and well-kept. She tied her horse outside where it could eat grass, and nearly got her foot stepped on in the process. Inside, she piled up a bit of wood, and heated it up, with only a little help from lightning.

Then I heard a sound outside. Her regents couldn't have caught up that quickly, could they? She ducked into the shadows.

I was suprised to see that my visitors were a small dog and - of people - my ex-regent Diego Storn. I stepped into the light where he could see me. "Diego? What are you doing here? Hello, Jasper." I patted the small dog on the head, and regretted leaving Tallo back at Comyn Castle, but the poor thing hates travelling unsedated.

"Mabry, chiya--oh, sorry, I forgot you don't like to be called "chiya"--what are you doing here? Is Rafael here with you? Oh, Evarra! I hope that stick-in-the-mud Regis isn't here!"

When Mabry told Diego she was alone, he panicked. "Mabry, no. You have to go back to Thendara at once. I can't take you; Marcello still has a price on my head. Weren't you on your way to Neskaya?" And he thought to himself, "Poor Myria! Trying to keep tabs on this one; well, the thing I've always liked about her is that Mabry has a mind of her own!"

Jasper went up to Mabry and sat at her feet. Mabry stiffened for a moment, for she had never gotten along well with dogs in the past. But when the little brown dog looked up at her with those liquid brown eyes, it set Mabry at ease.

"You know," Diego said, "he really likes you."

She grinned. "Jasper isn't half bad, at least not for a dog. Nothing like the Lapdog."

She then began to explain. "You see, Diego, I don't want to go to Neskaya. I belong in Aldaran, but my stupid regents seem to think that I need to go there for training. I don't mind going ot a tower, but NOT Neskaya. You know how Myria and I would get along - like two cats tied in the same sack. I wanted to go to Dalereuth. There's lots of people there, and I'd be able to tease Piedro, but I won't go to Neskaya."

There was a mild rumbling of thunder in the distance. She jumped. She hadn't done that! She was sure she hadn't! And it didn't feel like a natural storm. Someone was playing with the weather, and whoever it was, it was not a Rockraven.

Whoever it was, didn't seem to be causing too much trouble, so she turned her attetion back to Diego. "I'm going to see if I can find Port Chicago, and remain "lost" just long enough for my regents to regret what they are planning."

Diego responded: "Jasper and I are on our way to Corandolis. Mabry, if you insist on traveling, I can't let you go alone. I know of a route that eventually leads from Port Chicago to Corandolis. I know we have had our problems in the past, but would you like us to travel with you? Safety in numbers?"

When Mabry seemed to agree, Diego said: "Ground rules, though. First of all, I still have my underlying problem with megalomania. I can't be in charge, so *you* have to be the leader. Secondly, I'll do the cooking. It's not that you can't do a credible job, but we might as well enjoy our food, no? Finally, as soon as possible, you need to send Rafael and Regis some notice that you're okay. They will worry. I know they are "idiots" to you, but they really do have your best interests at heart."

Mabry was shocked. "Me? The leader? This is going to be interesting. As for you cooking, I'm very pleased. I've missed your cooking an awful lot. Liriel may be nice, but she can't cook much better than I can. And I already left my regents a note."

She sat down, and began playing with Jasper -- he's such a sweet puppy -- while Diego cooked dinner. Jasper and her had a lot of fun, but he reminded her of another puppy. Jorik. I had forgotten to say goodbye to him! She felt incredibly guilty.

Their first night, Diego cooked a magnificent meal (fresh grilled trout with brandied dried fruit!) and he and sat talking by the fireside, drinking jaco.

They restricted themselves to talking about the pleasant times at Castle Aldaran (and there were many, especially in the early days). Suddenly, Diego said something that puzzled Mabry:

"Mabry, how well do you know Congratulatia Elhalyn?"

After Mabry expressed her total disgust, she asked why Diego wanted to know.

"It's this damned Aldaran donas. I keep having visions of Congratulatia and me together, dancing underneath the stars. Yet we've never really met, just seen each other at a distance at the Ball. I don't understand."

Suddenly, their concentration was broken by Jasper, who had fallen asleep on his back and was snoring. They laughed and turned their path of conversation back to more pleasant matters.

They weren't on the road for very long when Diego turned to Mabry and whispered,"Mabry! Shh! Get down low and look over there. A verrin hawk! I haven't seen one in the wild in years. Jasper! Quiet!" They watched the magnificent bird soar through the air seeking its prey. Soon it had flown out of sight.

The day was full of wonder and excitement. Mabry spotted a cluster of rare wildflowers. Jasper was frightened by a butterfly. Diego found some late season redberries on a bush and picked them for dessert later. He turned to Mabry and said, "This is why I wanted to wander the planet. There is so much beauty in the small things on Darkover. We don't always get weather like this to enjoy it all, either."

By evening, they reached another shelter. After gathering wood and drawing water they began the preparations for supper. The dog lay by the growing fire, smelling the aromas. After supper, Diego brought out a deck of playing cards, and he and Mabry enjoyed a few rounds of a gambling game, using wood chips for tokens. Diego, usually a chronic insomniac, actually drifted off to sleep first, while Mabry read by candle light. All in all, it was a very good day.

"Diego! It's happening again!"

"Huh?" and Diego came out of his semi-trance. "Not again! Mabry, I'm really getting worried. The precognition flashes are happening more frequently and they are always the same:

Congratulatia and me dancing under the stars Someone locking a di catenas bracelet around Congratulatia's wrist Old Danvan lying in his casket with Congratulatia standing next to it, weeping

What does it all mean? I hardly know the woman, but I've had this vision at least a dozen times!"

"Diego, I can't tell you. You're the one with the Aldaran donas."

"I wish Piedro or Marilla were here. They would know what to do."

"Come on, Diego. We have a long way to go to reach Corandolis. We can't just sit here and talk about your dreams." And Jasper barked his assent.

Jasper was having the time of his life. He was with Diego all day and his little dog heart was becoming more and more attached to Mabry, who had been very kind to him. Jasper could not understand why people called her names such as "brat" and "harpy", because he found her to be warm and comforting. Even though he had been frightened by the butterfly, Jasper decided he was very brave, for when the verrin hawk flew by, he stayed with Diego and Mabry instead of running away.

The humans might have thought the trail was long and hard, but Jasper was very content. Occasionally, he still missed Marcello, whom he loved almost as much as Diego. Once and a while, he thought of little Aphros and hoped that the puppy was doing well at Serrais. As evening drew near and Diego lit the cooking fire, Jasper started to salivate. Supper would be coming soon. The little brown dog lay down next to Mabry, put his head on his paws, and watched Diego work. He let out a big sigh and remembered that he was a very lucky dog indeed, for there were people he cared for near him.

Diego turned to Mabry and said, "Look! I think I see the top of something on that hillside. Mabry, could that be Corandolis?" Jasper by her side, the Lady of Aldaran pulled a small spyglass from her pack and took a closer look at the building on the horizon.

Mabry squinted into the spyglass. She saw the topmost portion of a tower.

"Yes, that's it!" she squealed. "We're there!"

She couldn't believe it. After days, they had finally made it to Corandolis. She couldn't help but wonder why Diego thought it was so important to come to Corandolis, but she decided, that was his business.

Not hers. She just wished Jorik were with them. Mabry missed the puppy. He was so funny, definitely one of her favourite people. Too bad the council didn't make him her other regent instead of Regis. On the other hand, if Jorik were her other regent, she probably wouldn't be here right now. He wouldn't have made me go to Neskaya, so she would probably be home in Aldaran - surely the castle would be safe again, the lap dog must have died by now - practicing her embroidery, or something equally boring. It was just as well.

Diego turned to Mabry and said, "Now that we're here, you ought to have a little background into what's going on. A while back, when I was washed ashore on Mormallo, the Priestesses of Avarra saved my life in exchange for me working for them. They sent me to Dalereuth to find the origins of the Hastur myth. When I found out Hastur was a Drytowner, they were very upset.

But then I stumbled upon something that caught their interest. It seems that up until the time of Regis Hastur and Lew Alton, Corandolis was a functioning tower. After the World Wreckers, the tower was abandoned, but sometime previously, probably at the time of the Sharra Rebellion, someone hid a high- level matrix in the tower. What I found out was that the matrix is keyed to Evarra. When I told the Priestesses about it, they insisted that I go find it.

In the meantime, I went to Thendara for Midsummer, was kidnapped and beaten, and ended up getting trapped by Marcello. After Elorie rescued me, the Priestesses contacted me again and ordered me here."

"What do we do now?" Mabry asked.

"Remember, it's best if you stay in charge. What do *you* think we should do?"

She thought for a moment. "Alright. Why do they want the matrix?" She couldn't help but remember the reasons, the last time she had gone after a high power matrix. Jorik and her had been trying to bring Dorilys back to life - gosh, that had been a mistake!

"That's what's bothering me, Mabry. What I found out about it in Piedro's library said that it revolves around life and growth, the same way Sharra focused on fire. It apparently makes things grow, especially plants. For the life of me, I can't figure out why the Priestesses want it, but I'll be honest with you. I have a bad feeling every time I think of it in their hands."

"Well," Mabry said after a moment's thought. "Diego, your Aldaran gift is much stronger than mine, and I think we should trust it. We AREN'T giving them the matrix."

She thought a moment more. "How do you feel about that?" she asked, carefully phrasing her answer, so he wouldn't say something along the lines about how she was in charge.

"I agree with you." Diego said. "But I don't like the idea of it left in that abandoned tower. If I found out about it, others will too, and not everyone is as conscientious as we are. Let's go in, find it, and take it to one of the operating towers so that they can monitor it."

"Which tower?"

"Well, normally I'd suggest Arilinn, but I'm not sure what's going on there now. Neskaya would be a good choice, since Myria is highly competent, but I *know* you don't want to go there. I have bad memories of Tramontana, and while I respect Aidan, I just can't go there. I don't trust Damien at Comyn Tower; he seems sleazy to me. That leaves the Dalereuth group; I wish Marilla was back but I trust Piedro implicitly."

"Well, we can't do anything until we actually find the matrix."

"Okay, let's go. Come on Jasper."

Mabry nodded agreement. "Dalereuth sounds like a good idea. Those creepy priestess wouldn't get anywhere near it, what with Ivan."

And so they approached Corandolis Tower, unknowing of what fate awaited them there.

As Mabry, Diego, and Jasper approached the tower, the little dog became very agitated. He kept running around in circles, and seemed to be herding Mabry and Diego away from the tower. Despite his best efforts, they approached the door at the tower's base. Locked! Of course it would be locked!

Diego took out his matrix and tried to open the door with his laran. Nothing happened. Frustrated, he turned to Mabry and said, "Isn't this typical? We come all this way, and now we can't get in!" Jasper thought that was a very good thing.

Mabry sniffed. "Well, I'm not going to let a little thing like a locked door, prevent me from getting inside that tower." She focused her attention at the door, not far from the hinges. She sent a fair sized shock at the door. The wood caught fire, and slowly burned. As soon as there was an opening large enough, for her one-time guardian and herself to fit through, she used the other part of the Rockraven Gift. She gathered a fine mist around the door, and quickly condensed the water on the wooden frame. The matrix fell to the ground. "Coming, Diego?"

The tower was dark as Diego, Mabry, and Jasper entered. Spider webs were everywhere. Mabry expressed concern about the darkness. Diego turned to her and said, "Well, I haven't tried this since I was a boy at Arilinn, but here goes." He concentrated for a moment, and then a faint blue light began glowing from his fingertips. "I can't do this for long, so reach in my pack, get out the steel and flint, and light the wall torch I see over there."

Mabry managed to get the torch lit on the second try (clever girl!) and Jasper stopped whining as light flooded the tower base. Both the humans gasped, for beneath the dust and cobwebs was a stunning collection of ancient tapestries, left behind when the tower was abandoned. "Gods! They're worth a fortune!

Look! They even have metal thread woven in the patterns" Diego said. He started to move toward the stairway. "Come on, Mabry. Let's try this way first."

Mabry gave the stairtway an uncertain look. She made up her mind, and calmly walked up the stairs. She looked down from it at Diego. Then overcome by another childish spasm, she grinned, and slashed down the dusty banshester. She giggled and went back up the stairs. Diego gave her an annoyed patient look. She could practically see the thoughts going through his head "Now I remember why I wanted a constitutional monarchy." She immediately re-gained her composure, and opened the first door.

It was apparently, the Tower junk closet. Tons of useless junk - old rags, stuffed banshees, thirty year old additions of DI, even some bottles labeled, "Corandolis Kireseth Brewery: Bringing you the finest Kireseth Whiskey for over twenty years".

Diego turned to her and asked:

"Mabry, have you seen Jasper lately?"

Mabry lifted the torch higher and looked around. "No, I haven't. He doesn't seem to be here at all. Perhaps, he stayed outside? He didn't seem to like the tower much."

Jasper was extremely frightened. The dark and dusty place that Diego and Mabry went into scared him, reminding him of the rats he encountered at Dalereuth.

When they went up the stairs (and subsequently found the junky closet but no talisman) Jasper ran the other way. In his fright, he bumped into a small decorative panel next to one of the cobweb-covered tapestries. The panel rotated and knocked the little brown dog into a hidden room. He began to bark (as usual) but the walls were thick and he was sure Diego and Mabry couldn't hear him.

If only Marcello were around! He would know what to do! Jasper began running in circles around the chamber, trying to find a way out. He knocked into a table, which crashed to the ground and with it fell an elaborate wooden box, which smashed when it hit the floor. Inside was something that glowed bright blue and which frightened little Jasper even more.

Diego and Mabry searched all around for Jasper, to no avail. Then Diego noticed a faint blue light seeping from a crack in one of the walls on the main floor. When he pressed his hand on the panel near it, the panel swung open and a small brown dog leaped into his arms, barking its fool head off.

"Jasper! Look at you! You're filthy!"

Mabry went into the newly-revealed chamber and Diego followed. There, lying on the floor among shards of an elaborate wooden box lay a magnificent necklace with a large central piece, studded with starstones. Mabry went to pick it up but Diego stopped her. "No, Mabry, I can feel that thing's matrix power; it is much stronger than all those little stones would indicate. Something is inside that large construction in the center of the necklace. Don't touch it with your bare hands!"

Mabry looked at Diego a second, wondering if he was serious. "Don't be ridiculous, Diego. It's so beautiful. How could anything so beautiful be dangerous? It's JUST a necklace." She picked up the gorgeous piece of jewelry and settled it around her neck.

As Mabry picked up the fallen matrix, Diego cried out, "Mabry, it's not just a little blue crystal!" The blood rushed from his head and Diego fainted. Jasper began running in frantic circles barking. Nonplussed, Mabry looked at the pretty bauble in her hand and wondered what the fuss was all about. Now where could the Talisman be?

It was such a pretty necklace, nearly as lovely as the fire opal Mabry's father had given her for Midsummer. Even against her travel-stained clothes, it looked lovely. Well, they were there for a reason, and it wasn't to get jewelry. Mabry scanned the room, and noticed the shelves full of books.

Maybe one of them would hold a clue to where the Evanda matrix might be frowned.

She selected the oldest-looking of the books, and removed it from the shelves. As she did so, a sheet of paper fell out. Mabry began to read.

Continue in At Corandolis

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